BILL NUMBER: ACR 152	CHAPTERED  04/24/00

	RESOLUTION CHAPTER   48
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE   APRIL 24, 2000
	ADOPTED IN SENATE   APRIL 13, 2000
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY   APRIL 10, 2000
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY   APRIL 10, 2000

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Strom-Martin
   (Coauthors:  Assembly Members Alquist, Aroner, Bock, Calderon,
Cardenas, Cardoza, Cedillo, Corbett, Correa, Cunneen, Davis, Ducheny,
Dutra, Firebaugh, Florez, Frusetta, Gallegos, Havice, Hertzberg,
Honda, Jackson, Keeley, Knox, Kuehl, Leach, Lempert, Longville,
Lowenthal, Machado, Maldonado, Margett, Mazzoni, Migden, Nakano, Rod
Pacheco, Papan, Pescetti, Reyes, Romero, Scott, Shelley, Steinberg,
Strickland, Thomson, Torlakson, Vincent, Washington, Wayne, Wesson,
Wiggins, Wildman, Wright, and Zettel)

                        MARCH 27, 2000

   Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 152--Relative to California
Earth Day.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 152, Strom-Martin.  California Earth Day.
   This measure would declare April 22, 2000, as "California Earth
Day," would reaffirm the Legislature's commitment to the fundamental
principles of environmental laws, and would encourage the state's
residents to promote the goals of Earth Day 2000.




   WHEREAS, Thirty years ago, millions of Americans of all ages,
walks of life, and political affiliations joined together on the
first Earth Day in a demonstration of concern and support for the
environment; and
   WHEREAS, Public awareness of the environment, fostered by the
first Earth Day, has led to the enactment of key federal laws,
including the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, and the creation
of the Environmental Protection Agency, to protect the environment;
and
   WHEREAS, The spirit of the first Earth Day has continued, and
increased public awareness has caused Californians to make individual
decisions that will reduce adverse impacts on the environment; and
   WHEREAS, California's environmental attributes, including its
rocky coasts, sandy beaches, redwood forests, stark deserts, and
towering mountains, make the state the most beautiful in the nation;
and
   WHEREAS, The Legislature recognizes and has helped safeguard the
state's unique environmental attributes through the enactment of laws
including the California Environmental Quality Act, the Coastal
Protection Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Integrated
Waste Management Act, and the California Clean Air Act, which protect
its scenic beauty, natural resources, and the quality of its water,
air, and land; and
   WHEREAS, New and continuing threats of increasing severity to our
environment, including global climate change, stratospheric ozone
depletion, acid rain, polluted oceans and waterways, loss of forests,
wetlands, and other wildlife habitats, and contamination of air and
drinking water sources by nuclear, hazardous, and solid wastes,
demand renewed public involvement; and
   WHEREAS, Critical federal and state laws and international
agreements that protect the quality of the environment are needed now
more than ever in the new millennium; and
   WHEREAS, Activities to celebrate, on April 22, 2000, the 30th
anniversary of the first Earth Day, will focus public attention and
encourage personal and community participation in order to protect
the environment through recycling, conserving energy and water, using
efficient transportation, and other environmentally responsible
personal actions; and
   WHEREAS, Earth Day 2000 will provide an impetus for additional
protection of the environment, and continued local, state, national,
and international efforts will be required at an unprecedented level
during the next decade in order to remedy the environmental problems
that we face; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
concurring, That April 22, 2000, is hereby declared to be "California
Earth Day"; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Legislature reaffirms its commitment to the
fundamental principles that underlie the state's environmental laws,
including the protection of human health from environmental hazards
through the prevention of environmental risks and the maintenance of
health-based standards; the continuance of programs to safeguard the
quality of the air we breathe and the water we drink; the recycling
and reuse of materials, whenever feasible, to reduce the economic and
environmental costs of disposal, and to recapture the value of these
materials for the state's economy; the effective cleanup of
pollution of the state's land, air, and water resources; the
preservation of natural ecosystems; and maintenance of the
fundamental right of the public to know about environmental hazards
and to fully participate in public decisions regarding the
environment; and be it further
   Resolved, That California recognizes the importance of the
environment and encourages residents to include in their daily lives
those activities that promote the goals of Earth Day 2000; and be it
further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly shall transmit
copies of this resolution to the Governor and to the Secretary for
Resources and the Secretary for Environmental Protection.
